My Northfield Artist Model, “Old Dog”
Hey all,
I recently received a Northfield Artist Series, and it is a beast.
I love this thing, and just wanted to share a bit about it to those who are interested in hearing about Northfields.
I was planning to get an NFS or Big Mon, and even owned an F5S for a couple of days until I decided the neck was too narrow on that specific mandolin. I really wanted an Artist model, but the price was too steep for me. I was ready to buy a mandolin again recently, and just happen to email Northfield to ask if they had any interesting ones hanging around, like a cool demo model or something like that. They just happen to have an Artist Model that Mike Marshall had picked out for himself and played for about a year. It has a lot of Mike Marshall play wear on it, but it is Mike Marshall play wear, so who cares. It is perfect for me. I like the fact that it already has play wear, as I don’t have to be so careful with it, and I can play it with abandon. It is an Engelmann top 5 tone bar model, and it is a serious mandolin.
The particulars are as follows:
Model: NFA-5VIE
Variation: IE
Serial#: 14001
Nickname: “Old Dog”
Date: December 2014
Top: Engelmann Spruce
Sides: Sugar Maple
5 Tone Bars
I don’t know if the “Old Dog” nickname was given to the mandolin by the guys at Northfield, or by Mike Marshall, but it is written on the label, and it really suits the instrument.
It has a LOUD, thick, powerful, warm, dark, lovely tone, and the sustain is insane.
It took me a while to adjust to playing this instrument, as it is very different from my old mandolin, mainly because of the sustain. It does not have the sharpness and jangle of a traditional bluegrass mando, but I think the tone of this mandolin will be much more versatile for me.
I loved the punchy dry tone of the NFS models I have played, and I also loved the airy deep clunk of the Big Mons I played, but this 5-Bar model is a completely different animal. The tone to me is more similar to an X-braced Gilchrist, at least the ones I have heard. I like it.
It is certainly beautiful to look at, and I love the wood, color, finish, neck etc.
The neck is especially lovely, and plays like a dream.
It is a great shape, fits my hand perfectly, and is just plain comfortable to hold.
It is a violin style finish on the neck, so it is smooth and warm to the touch.
The frets are big and smooth.
It just feels great.
I am still getting to know this mandolin, and it is very satisfying so far.
The volume and sustain are forcing me to change my playing style for the better.
I don’t have to play it as hard as I did my old mandolin, and I have to play it more carefully.
One of the great things is that even if you play it very very softly the notes are solid and have depth and sustain. It has a solid thick tone up front, with a delicate depth and space behind it. It is a rounded F5 tone with some added space supporting it.
There is a lot of dimension to the tone.
The notes are even and open all the way up the neck.
A chop chord anywhere on the mandolin has the same power, tone and volume.
My old mandolin diminished in tone as you got past the 12th fret.
This one just keeps going.
Oh, I have to mention the case, which is beautiful.
It is the Heirloom Case, smooth black exterior and soft green interior.
Awesome case.
To hear the tone of this mandolin you can hear Mike Marshall play it in this interview video with Adrian Begale of Northfield. My mandolin is the mandolin Mike Marshall is strapped to for most of this video and he plays it first. He starts playing it at about 23:30.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_3E8aZfOPk
Anyhoo, just thought I would share my findings so far.
I have really enjoyed every Northfield I have played, but this one is just killer.
It is the loudest mandolin I have ever played, but it has such a great character to the tone, and plays like a dream.
It is a stunning acoustic machine.
Here are some shots of it.
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Originally Posted by FLATROCK HILL
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